Snowshoe harness



June 13, 1961 H. HOWE SNOWSHOE HARNESS Filed Jan. 19, 1959 INVENTO R bzeaw How:

United States Patent 2,987,834 SNOWSHOE HARNESS Harold Howe, Rowayton, Conn., assignor to Howe Foldrng Furmtnre, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 19, 1959, Ser. No. 787,451 4 Claims. (CI. 36-45) This invention relates to snowshoe harnesses.

Snowshoe harnesses of the prior art are objectionable because they are too complicated, and they fail to provide a satisfactory combination of freedom for the heel of the users boot to move up and down relative to the snowshoe and control for preventing forward, rearward (8)]; angular movement of the boot relative to the snow- It has been suggested to provide a rigid U-member intended to frictionally engage a users boot particularly around the heel, and to make the U-member adjustable in length in accordance with the size of the users boot. Such means has introduced complications and increased the bulk of such harnesses to the extent that they have been commercially rejected. When straps have been used they have extended to the peripheral frame of the shoe and this has been objectionable not only because of the increased bulk of the resulting harness but also because the straps cause increased resistance to movement of the snowshoe in soft snow.

The harness disclosed herein departs radically from the prior art since it comprises a rigid U-member which is not intended to fit snugly around the sides and heel of a users boot but it is made large enough to provide a space within which to position boots of different sizes. Applicants concept of the U-member diifers radically from the prior art since applicant does not employ it to directly engage the boot but to provide an attachment means for other means by which the users boot is prevented from movement relative to the U-member.

Accordingly it is an object of the invention to provide a simple, dependable snowshoe harness.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for preventing movement of any boot within a range of sizes, relative to a pivoted U-rnember of constant size.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for positioning a boot within a pivoted U-member of standard size by means wholly within the space defined by the U-member and respectively extending around the heel of the boot and around the front of the boot top.

Another object of the invention is to provide a snowshoe harness such that the only adjustment required for boots of varying sizes is a simple adjustment of strap means between a U-member and the particular boot which is placed within the space defined by the U-member.

Another object is to provide in combination an improved snowshoe and harness construction.

The invention will be best understood if the following description is read in connection with the drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view showing an embodiment of the invention with strap means adjusted to a particular size of boot,

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view looking at the left side of a structure shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 2a is a detail view also in perspective showing strap 40 looped around the rear and intermediate portion b of the U-member 20,

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan view of the structure shown in FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 4 is a side elevation taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 1 and FIGURE 5 is a detail view partly in cross section taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawice ing the numeral 10 identifies the peripheral frame of the usual elongated type of snowshoe enclosing a space crisscrossed with lacings 12, of rawhide or the like, extending between opposed portions of the frame 10. Snowshoes of this type usually have a cross frame member, shown and identified in the drawing by the numeral 14, which is known as a toe bar. A second cross frame member 16 is also shown in the drawings disposed to the rear of the toe bar 14 and behind the harness.

A space 18, known as the toe cord opening, is ordinarily left directly behind the center portion of the toe bar 14, between the toe bar and the toe cord 19, which is a heavy cross cord or braid of rawhide or the like, extending in parallel spaced relation to the toe bar, with the criss-cross lacing resumed behind it. It is customary to position the harness so that the toe of the users boot will project slightly in front of the toe cord and can move downwardly into the toe cord opening to facilitate raising of the heel of the boot as is done in taking each step on snowshoes. The need for raising and lowering the heel of the users boot with respect to a snowshoe marks an important difierence in the requirements of snowshoe harnesses and ski harnesses or bindings.

I provide a rigid U-shaped member 20 which is large enough to define a space within which a boot of any of a variety of sizes may be placed, and I provide means for mounting the U-mernber for rotation around the front ends of its legs 20a and 20b on pivot pins p, p disposed above and adjacent to the toe cord 19 so that a boot may be positioned within the U-member with its toe projecting beyond the front ends of the legs of the U-rnember and over the toe cord opening 18.

Various means may be employed for mounting the pivot pins p to engage the forward ends of the legs of the U-member respectively. The means I prefer comprise the two arms 22 and 24, extending rearwardly in spaced parallel relation from the toe bar 14, and bridging, or extending on opposite sides of, the toe cord opening 18. As shown the forward ends of the arms are respectively bolted to the toe bar by double ended bolts 26, and the rear ends of said arms are clamped on the lacing 12 to the rear of the toe cord 19, by double ended bolts 28 which extend through the arms respectively and through spaces in the lacing, to and through plates 30 disposed on the undersurface of the lacing. As illustrated plates 30 are metal and leather pads 34 are provided between the metal plates and the undersurface of the lacing, the bolts 28 of course also extending respectively through these pads. The pivot pins p extend transversely through arms 22 and 24 and through the respective forward ends of the U-member, above, and preferably just to the rear of the toe cord opening 18.

If desired the lower ends of bolts 26 or 28 may be extended and pointed to engage an icy surface, or a screw cap 27 for this purpose may be provided on the extended lower end of one of these bolts, as shown in FIGURE 4.

Extending between the legs of the U-member adjacent their forward ends is a toe strap 38, which is preferably adjustable in length to extend tightly over the toe of any boot placed on the lacing within said U-member. Desirably the ends of the strap are interengaged over a leather pad 39 which has the slots s through which the strap is threaded,

An important concept of this invention is that the boot, regardless of its size, is restrained from forward or backward or angular movement within the space defined by the U-member by means anchored only to the U-member. While the boot is thus controlled within the space defined by U-member 20, and the toe of the boot is held down by the toe strap 38, the heel of the boot is free to move up and down since the U-member pivots up and down with it, toward and away from the level of the lacings,

The means for fastening the boot to and within the U- member 20 may be simple, flexible straps 40 and 44. In the drawings a strap 40 is shown looped intermediate its ends around the intermediate, rear portion b of the U- member with its free ends long enough to be brought around opposite sides of the top of the boot and fastened together in front of the boot so that the strap passes across and frictionally contacts the front of the boot top above the arch of the boot. For providing a wider contact with the boot a flexible pad 42, similar to 39, may be threaded on the strap.

Another strap 44 is disposed with its ends attached to the leg portions 26a, 20b of the U-member 20, in advance of the heel of the boot, and with its intermediate portion extending around and frictionally contacting the heel of the boot. A triangular control is thus provided which serves both to limit rearward movement of the boot and to prevent it from turning angularly. The width of contact with the heel of the boot is increased by pad 45 which is engaged and held in place by both straps 40 and 45.

The pad 45 is provided with slits 46a and 46b adjacent its end margins respectively, to receive strap 44. A second pair of slits 48a and 4812 are provided in pad 45, and are located above, and somewhat closer together than the slits 46a, 46b, and the respective end portions of strap 40 overlie pad 45 and are threaded through slits 48a, 43b. Since each of these portions of strap 40 is fastened to the U-member behind the heel of the boot, and since from the point where they are fastened to the heel of the U-member they diverge and, when fastened together, pass up and around opposite sides of the top of the boot, it will be seen that these portions of strap 49 serve both to suspend pad 45 and to press the upper portion of pad 45 over and around the upper portion of the heel of the boot. Strap 40 thus coacts with strap 44 in positioning pad 45 with respect to the boot and in preventing pad 45 from slipping down over the heel of the boot.

There is thus co-action between straps 40 and 44 and pad 45 in producing frictional engagement of the harness with a large area of the heel of the boot. There is also anotherco-action between straps 4t and 44 since, by helping hold pad 45 well up on the heel of the boot, strap 40 also holds strap 44 from slipping down, especially at the points where it goes through the slits 46a and 46b of pad 45.

The ends of strap 44 are shown fastened to the legs 29:: and 20b by rivets r but if desired may be looped or otherwise secured to the legs 20a and 20b of the U-member. In FIGURE 2a the looped midportion of strap 40 is shown held against sliding on the intermediate, rear portion b of the U-member 2) by a thong 2 which is threaded through the bores h in said portion b and tied over and around the looped portion of strap 40 but if desired strap 40 may be divided and each part riveted to the rear portion b of the U-member.

A strap or web 49, best seen in FIGURE 3, is provided extending between the legs 20a, 20b of the U-member 20 on which users boot rests. Strap 49 prevents downward movement of the users boot relative to the U- member, while straps 40 and 44 prevent forward or rearward or angular movement of the boot relative to the U-member.

There has thus been provided a snowshoe harness in which the above mentioned objects are obtained in a thoroughly practical manner.

What I claim is:

1. A combination snowshoe and harness comprising, a peripheral frame enclosing a space, a cross frame member extending between opposed portion of the peripheral 'frarne, lacing criss-crossing the space defined by the peripheral frame leaving open a small area directly to the rear of the cross frame member, said lacing including a toe cord extending across the frame in substantially parallel relation to the cross frame member but spaced rearwardly from the cross frame member and defining the rear end of said open area, a pair of arms extending rearwardly from the cross frame member in spaced parallel relation to the rear of said open area, means for securing the forward end of said arms respectively to the cross frame member, and means for clamping the rear ends of said arms respectively to the lacing, a rigid U-member, means for pivotally mounting the front ends of said U-member to the said arms respectively, above the lacing and adjacent to the said toe cord, means extending between the legs of the U-member for supporting a boot placed Within the space defined by the U-member, and out of contact with U-member and means for interconnecting the boot to the U-member to prevent movement of the boot forwardly, rearwardly and angularly relative to the U-member.

2. A snowshoe harness which comprises a U-member comprising two substantially parallel legs and an intermediate curved portion defining a space large enough to receive a boot within a range of sizes, and means for mounting it above the lacing of a snowshoe with its open end opening toward the front of the snowshoe, on an axis extending transversely of the snowshoe and through the forward ends of the legs of said U-member, and means to position a boot within but normally out of contact with said U-member and at the same time prevent movement of the boot relative to the U-member while permitting lifting of the heel of the boot along with the U-member, comprising means for holding down on the lacing of the snowshoe the toe of a boot placed within the space defined by the U-member and extending beyond the forward ends of the legs of the U-member, and a plurality of flexible straps, one of which straps is anchored to the rear end of the U-member and has adjustably interengageable end portions adapted to extend around the opposite sides of the users boot and around the front of the boot, and the other of which straps has its ends anchored to opposed portions of the legs of said U-member in advance of the heel of the boot and has an intermediate portion adapted to extend around and to frictionally engage the heel of the users boot, and a pad engageable by both of said flexible straps and held in frictional engagement over and around the heel of the boot by the co-action of said straps.

3. A snowshoe harness which comprises a U-member comprising two substantially parallel legs and an intermediate curved portion defining a space large enough to receive a boot within a range of sizes, and pivot means for mounting it above the lacing of a snowshoe with its open end opening toward the front of the snowshoe, on an axis extending transversely of the snowshoe and through the forward ends of the legs of said U-member, and means to position a boot within but normally out of contact with said U-member and at the same time prevent movement of the boot relative to the U-member while permitting lifting of the heel of the boot along with the U-rnember, comprising a plurality of flexible straps, one of which straps is anchored to the rear end of the U-member and has adjustably interengageable end portions adapted to extend around the opposite sides of the users boot, and the other of which straps has its ends anchored to opposed portions of the legs of the U-mernber in advance of the intermediate portion adapted to extend around the heel of the boot, a pad having a pair of slits adjacent its lateral margins and substantially normal to the heel of the boot, and a second pair of slits located above said first pair of slits-and disposed at an angle with respect to said first pair of slits, the-said strap which extends around the heel of the boot being threaded through the first pair of slits, and the end portions of the strap which fastens around the front of the boot being threaded through the second pair 'of slits respectively, the first mentioned of said straps serving to bend the pad around the heel of the boot in frictional engagement with the heel of the boot, and the said portions of the second mentioned strap overlying portions of said pad above the first mentioned strap and serving to increase the frictional engagement of the pad with the heel of the boot, and also serving, when fastened around the front of the boot, to suspend the said pad and to hold both the pad and the first mentioned strap from slipping down on the heel of the boot.

4. A snowshoe harness which comprises a U-member comprising two substantially parallel legs and an intermediate curved portion defining a space large enough to receive a boot within a range of sizes, and pivot means for mounting it above the lacing of a snowshoe with its open end opening toward the front of the snowshoe, on an axis extending transversely of the snowshoe and through the forward ends of the legs of said U-member, and means to position a boot within but normally out of contact with said U-member and at the same time prevent movement of the boot relative to the U-member while permitting lifting of the heel of the boot along with the U-member, comprising a plurality of flexible strap means, one of which is mounted on the middle portion of the U-member and is adapted to extend forwardly around the front of the users boot and another of which has its ends secured to the legs respectively of the U- member and extends rearwardly and angularly with respect to the U-member within the space defined by the U-member to engage the heel of the users boot.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 375,522 Woodbury Dec. 27, 1887 1,613,576 Burgess Jan. 4,1927 2,385,944 Ruecker Oct. 2, 1945 2,420,261 Nadeau May 6, 1947 

